Top-fastener.



' s. B. THOMAS.

TOP FASTBNER.

APPLICATION FILED 1'33- 8, 1910.

- 984,3 1 9. Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

SAMUEL B. THOMAS, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

TOP-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 8, 1910.

Patented Feb. 14:, 1911. Serial No. 542,684.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. Trronas, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in shipping and storing vessels, and the invention has for its primary object a simple, durable and efli cient construction of fastener for the tops of cans or jars, whereby the top may be easily applied and removed, but will be held securely on the body portion of the jar or can when the fastener is in place.

With this and other objects in view as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain eonstructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my device applied; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views thereof; Fig. 4 is a view of the top detached; and, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the fastener detached, the parts being shown in nested position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the body portion of a storing receptacle such as a can or jar, the same being provided at its mouth with a rim flange or head 2.

3 designates the top which may be formed of tin or of any other desired substance or material, said top being adapted to fit snugly over the top of the jar or can and being formed with a depending marginal flange t which is formed at diametrically opposite points with notches or recesses 5.

The fastener embodies a clamping bar 6, preferably of spring metal, the same being provided With hooked ends 7 that are adapted to extend into the recesses 5 and to snap down into engagement with those portions of the flange or bead 2 which are exposed by the notches or recesses. Preferably, the extremities of the hooked ends 7 are turned outwardly and extended downwardly, as indicated at 8, so as to form finger pieces whereby the ends of the clamping bar may be snapped out of engagement with the bead 2.

In addition to the clamping bar 6, the fastener embodies a bracing bar 9, the two bars being pivotally connected at middle points and extending one over the other, as shown. The bracing bar 9 is formed with hooked ends 10 that are adapted to extend downwardly over the flange 4: of the top, the said ends 10 snugly and frictionally engaging the flange 4 when the bracing bar is in a position at right angles to the clamping bar, whereby the bar 9 not only serves as a brace as it extends over the top 3, but also serves as a means for holding the fastener in place while being applied or removed, it being noted, as above stated, that the hooked ends 10 of the bracing bar are extended downwardly and inwardly into engagement with the flange of the top. Hence, the bracing bar will hold the device on the top while the hooked ends 7 of the clamping brace are snapped downward over the flange or bead 2, and conversely will also tend to hold the fastener while it is being removed and prevent it from suddenly springing off the top. It is also to be noted that the bars 6 and 9 are so proportionate that they may be brought into alinement with each other, the hooked ends 10 of the brace bar 9 being nested within the hooked ends 7 of the clam ing bar 6. By this arrangement the device will take up very little space when not in use and will be the more easily handled and packed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A top fastener embodying a clamping bar and a bracing bar, the two bars being pivotally connected at the middle points and extending one over the other with the bracing bar underneath in the applied position of the parts, the bracing bar being formed with hooked ends adapted to extend through the outer face of a top flange and in engagement therewith with the clamping bar at right angles to the bracing bar, and the bracing bar being formed at each end with a curved hooked end extending downwardly to a plane below the ends of the bracing bar and engage underneath the lower edge of the rim flange of a top, the ends of the clamping bar 5 being thence extended outwardly to form finger pieces for the ready detachment of the device, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix'mysignature in presence of two wltnesses.

SAMUEL B. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

HENRY N. Hum), J. B. OAVANAUGH. 

